This application claims the priority of German Application No. 101 18 067.5 filed Apr. 11, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference.
This invention relates to a device for a fiber processing machine such as a carding machine or a roller card for evening the fiber web or sliver produced thereby. The fiber processing machine may be preceded by a fiber tuft feeder which has a feed chute and further includes a feeding device composed of a feed roll and a feed tray which directly cooperate with an opening roll (such as a preliminary roll in a roller card and a licker-in in a carding machine) of the fiber processing machine. The lower end of the feed chute terminates in the region of the feed roll in such a manner that the feed roll draws the fiber material from the feed chute.
In a known device, such as disclosed in European Patent No. 468,985, a carding machine is fixedly connected with an upstream-arranged tuft feeder. The housing of the tuft feeder accommodates a feed chute which continues, without the interposition of delivery rolls, as a hopper slide, by means of which the fiber material (fiber batt) is advanced to the carding machine. The feed roll cooperates with the fixed-axis licker-in of the carding machine. Setting the distance between a clamping location defined by the cooperating feed roll and feed tray and a combing location (which is the location where the fiber material is transferred to the opening roll) is not contemplated by the prior art structure.
It is an object of the invention to provide, in a fiber processing system, an improved device of the above-outlined type with which the distance between the clamping and transfer locations may be altered in a simple manner, making possible an improved processing of the fiber material.
This object and others to become apparent as the specification progresses, are accomplished by the invention, according to which, briefly stated, the fiber processing system includes a first roll; a feed tray forming a feeding device with the first roll and defining a clamping location therewith for clamping and advancing fiber material; a second roll cooperating with the feeding device for taking over the fiber material therefrom at a transfer location on the second roll; a third roll cooperating with the second roll for taking over the fiber material from the second roll; and an adjusting arrangement for varying a distance between the clamping and transfer locations. The adjusting arrangement includes a pivoting device for arcuately displacing the second roll about the rotary axis of the first roll or the third roll; and a shifting device for displacing the feeding device toward or away from the third roll.
By virtue of the fact that, as viewed in the direction of fiber processing, the opening roll adjoining the feeding device may be swung about the axis of an immediately adjoining roll, the transfer location may be changed, whereby the distance between the clamping location and the transfer location is altered as well. Thus, a distance adjustment is feasible which is of primary importance for a gentler and more uniform feed of the fiber material. In particular, an advantageous adaptation of the distance to the properties (particularly the fiber length) of the processed fiber material is feasible by setting the distance as a function of such properties.